Spring Revitalization: River Rides High Post-Abroad Return!
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 09: Pitcher River Ryan #77 of the Los Angeles Dodgers takes the sign during the fourth inning of a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 09, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images River Ryan is scheduled to pitch one of the Dodgers’ split squad games on Sunday, getting the home game at Camelback Ranch against the Texas Rangers. The right-hander who had Tommy John surgery in August 2024 and missed all of 2025, is now vying for a spot in the Dodgers’ rotation, or at least a spot on the opening day roster in some role.
Ryan to date has just four major league starts under his belt, and still qualifies as a prospect heading into this season. He was rated the 55th-best prospect in baseball by Keith Law at The Athletic , and on deeper lists Ryan was ranked 107th at FanGraphs and 125th at ESPN . He’s also having a solid spring training, with seven strikeouts and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, with a solo home run his only hit given up so far in Cactus League play.
Ryan was listed in two different articles this week about strong performances this spring, including by J. J. Cooper at Baseball America : Back from Tommy John surgery, Ryan needed one spring training outing to dial in the strike zone, as in his first appearance against Arizona he landed strikes with only 42% of his pitches.
But he showed no control problems in his next two outings, and he’s sitting 96-98 mph with a swing-and-miss 90-91 mph slider. That slider has generated eight whiffs in 14 swings. Kiley McDaniel at ESPN selected a potential 2026 breakout player for each MLB team , and Ryan was his choice for the Dodgers.
“Ryan has looked excellent in the early going in Arizona after not pitching since 2024,” McDaniel wrote. “He has the components to start but his deep arsenal of plus stuff can work in any role. “ Links Major League Baseball this week released a report about Game 7 of the World Series regarding Miguel Rojas throwing out Isiah Kiner-Falefa at home plate in the ninth inning, that the play was not as close as it originally seemed From Ben Walker at The Associated Press : “After reviewing all relevant angles, the replay official definitively determined the catcher’s foot was touching the plate when the ball contacted the interior of his mitt,” read the official report by MLB, which recently provided it to The Associated Press.